Primary Navigation

How to write a personal statement

Many UK colleges and universities will ask you to present a personal statement when you apply. But what is a personal statement? A personal statement is where you explain to the college or university you’re apply for why you’re ambitions, skills and experience make you suitable for the course.

It’s an important part of the application process and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. But how can you make sure your personal statement is perfect for your application? Here are our top tips:

Start well

Make sure you start your personal statement with a strong opening sentence that makes it clear why you’ve applied for the course. It’s best to include here any previous study and reflect how that will help you with the course you’re applying for.

Use examples

Reflect on your strengths and qualities and use previous experiences to highlight them. Transferable skills are also key. They’re general skills that you can take from one course to another. These skills would have been gained from previous jobs, hobbies or other activities.

Think about the future

It’s important to explain why the course would benefit you, not just in the short term, but in the long term. How will this improve your career prospects? What useful skills will you gain from the course?

Be natural

Be yourself, it’s important to let your personality stand out. Don’t just write what you feel they want to read. If you’re own personality comes out in your personal statement then it will make you stand out from the rest of the applicants.

Keep it simple

Well-structured and clear personal statements always work best. Keep it simple! Don’t over complicate things by writing lengthy sentences and using difficult words to understand. You need to make sure your experiences, qualifications and qualities are clearly defined.

Do you have any advice on writing a personal statement? Let us know in the comment section below!